


tomorrow's just a mystery (but that's ok)

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Following
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-07
Updated: 2013-05-07
Packaged: 2017-12-10 16:14:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/787980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Debra stands and stares out to sea, thinking about what happens next.</p>
            </blockquote>





	tomorrow's just a mystery (but that's ok)

**Author's Note:**

> AU for the season finale. Denial is good.  
> Comment fic prompt response, prompt doubles as the title

Debra pulls her jacket tighter around herself, stares out past the lighthouse to the sea beyond. Smoke still rises from the charred remains of the boathouse, and from the corner of her eye she can see Mike and Ryan talking with Marshal Turner. She closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath, grateful for the fresh air on her skin, filling her lungs - she already knows she's never taking that for granted again. 

There's a part of her that can't believe it's over, that Joe Carroll is really dead. This case has been so all consuming that it's hard to think about the next one and she's not so sure she wants to, not right away at least. She's not going to have to, she knows that: she's in for a nice chunk of medical leave, mandated therapy sessions and after that, who knows? Alternative Religions will still be there but for a woman who's spent her entire life surrounded by cults, she's wondering if it might be time for a change. Maybe even a sabbatical. She could visit Beth, spend some time with her. Maybe go back to Serenity Hills, see her parents one more time. Maybe ten years will have changed them; maybe hearing her name on the news will have. It wouldn't hurt to try. 

Or maybe she won't get a chance. The thought comes to her that Sarah Fuller was part of Joe's last unfinished manuscript, now Debra herself is. She's supposed to be dead and Joe still has any amount of Followers out there who would finish the job on his behalf. The thought sends a shiver down her spine and she pushes it away - Ryan and Mike would have her in protective custody in a heartbeat if there was any such threat to her. 

"Hey." She opens her eyes at the sound of Mike's voice, turns her head to look at him. His lips are curled into a smile but his eyes are worried. Compared to the youthful agent she met only a few weeks ago, this case has exacted a heavy toll on him too, but he's still more concerned for her than for himself. "You ok?"

For a woman who's always know exactly what she wanted to do and where she was going, for a woman who's had all her certainties taken from her, Debra still manages to nod, even to smile. "Just enjoying the fresh air," she tells him and he nods, steps closer to her and puts an arm around her shoulders. She leans into it, rests her head against his, takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. This case took a lot from them, but they gained something precious from it too. 

He squeezes her shoulders, presses a kiss to the top of her head. "C'mon," he says. "Let's get out of here."

He never takes his arm from around her shoulders as they walk and if the sight of them like that attracts second and third looks, then Debra doesn't really care. 

She doesn't know what tomorrow holds, but she knows as long as she and Mike hold on to each other, then everything will be ok. 


End file.
